Weighing-scale translating mechanism



April 9, 1929. G. M. LUDLOW 1,708,275

WEIGING SCALE TRANSLATING MECHANISM Original Filed March 27, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet. 1

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. M. LUDLow 1,708,275

WEIGHING SCALE TRANSLATING MECHANISM Original Filed March 27, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented pr. 9, 1929.

UNTED STATES PATENT' actrice.

GEORGE M. LUnLow,'o1`.EVANsToN, ILLINOIS, Ass'IGNoR ifro. SANITARY SCALE coM` PANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINo1s,'A conPoRA'rI'oN oF ILLINOIS.

WEIGHINGfsCALE -TRANSLATING' MECHANISM. A

Application tiled Marchl27, `1926,` Serial No. 97,824. -Renewed August -22, 1928..'H

This invention relates to weighing .scales of the class in which the load-transmitting element, usually in the form of a steelyard .rod-1 suspended from Weighing springs, has .itS.;

reciprocating inovements registered by .a

rotary indicator, for instance, a; cylindrical chart with which ithe load transmitting rele-: ment is connected through means of a .pinion in driving relation to the shaft ofthechart,"` and a rack'extending upwardly ;from the load-transm itting element andl confined, in a pat-h of .movementin whichit meshes with the pinion by means of a guide adjustablegto determine with exact-nessthe approachof the racltto the pinion.l ln such scales it has been the practice, prior to the present invention, to control the movement of thetransf. mit-,ting member-.by means' of aidash pot, and to provide thev dash pot fwitlnnieans whereby the transmitting '.in'ember .finayj bef docked? against n'love'ment .during shipment alsot toi make. the raclrl'iar guide.releasablesoasio, avoid pressing the rack bar-intomesh .withf the pinion duringshipment.1` ButnomeansA was provided to facilitate lockingof the 'rank1 bar from the'pinion during shipmentof the scale, and guarding against injury. of the sun-f faces ofthe rack and pinion incase=ofshock, and as a'consequence, while the parts were fully -protected in shipment tothe-place of; use, there was a possibilityof injuring the parts by a shock or jolting in handling,-re sulting from transn'iission' of `stress from .the rack to the pinion in case'tlie transmitting; member .wasleft n'iovablefin the dash pot, or transmission of shock-from the pinion tothe rack resulting from springingof the chart shaft,'\vhich might occur even 4though -thetransmitting member were lockedv against.;- movement in the dash pot.' f

One object of the present invention -is to provide means for facilitating displace'- ment of the rack bar and positively holdingv it away from the pinion during shipment and.A

' handling of the scale; also facilitating returng of the rack to working position when demon` strating or installing the' scaleon the counter, thereby insuring against neglect 'of these precautions, besides savingr the til'ne'of bothlt-he. salesman and the merchant lwith Whom he is dealing; also -to insure return of the raclb bar to the exact position'relatively to the pinion which the factory expert has selected for the rack bar before selling the scale.

Accordingly, one feature of the present ininvention iste provide-.fortheintermediate- .110

vention consists in providingmeans for.posi..

tively setting the rack barfaway-.from .the

pinion," as wellfasmeans'forsetting it up to'. the Ipinion atthewill ofthe demonstrator,;:

sof

such means ,consisting preferably. ina; guide for the rack bar .having @bearing in frontas we lL asfin frearoftherbar, these bearings: beingpreferably. in vertical planes., spaced apartjsufiiciently to remainnorlnally withouty substantial contact with z the. rack bar, VALbut close enough vto .prevent the rackbar .departingwniaterially from its -,intended pathvg-of movement underg 4abnormal.irl'lliences; the guide' in front' of-'the' rackbar servingpthel important function of positively fhjoldingthe rack I-loar raway' front the ipiniongwhen ad-y justed-for-sucli:effect dunixlgshipinent. ,1n the preferred embodiment Iof thispantpfthe inventionfthe rack bar.,g'uide is IInoivedina. direction vto withdrawn the i rack.;- from the pincinf .by -liieinsy of .a spring, and. is moved; in the @Pnsterdi-lfectiomby means'ota Screw.. a iscendiscrew' adi estable 'in "the i direction? of movement of the -guidffza-ndseryngfas 5mn.

therefor, being amor Shipment f,.1hei

scajleyso V-that .when the scale i s .,set :up:v at its: destinatilom; it is merely-.necessary -to draw the A guide `vby theE screw first named until arf, rested. byl .the lstop screw, in Eorder; toinsure precise 4positioningv of `the rack irelatively to the pinion. ...j

In mounting rotary cylindrical chartsin. driven :relation to translating mechanism' ofthe kind hereinreferred to, it is customaryl tosupport the chart byintroducing:theends of its shaft into suitably supported antiifriction bearings remote f from Athe translating mechanism, and .to mount the' pinionof thel translating mechanism, y or soine.member. driven thereby, directly uponthe Chartshaft at an intermediate point of the lattei.i-Bu t this .arran gement,1 Whilev very desirable, Ifor, precision Work of theA kind required in a computingscale, leavesthe chart` shaft subject todeflection .by itsovvn inertia, resulting `from jolting orshocks encountered in the handling of the scale,or under stresses received fromthe1 rackbar and'developed by j'olting or sudden, applicationof excessive load, v.any of which influencesare liable to cause permanent deflection-ofthe shaft or injurious impingenient of the rack and pinion surfaces againstoneanother..l vj w Accordingly, another object of the; present positioned with relation tothe rack bar 7 and hold the latter to its duty but with minimum frictional contact, the guide bearing has been mountedon avlever pivoted to .the

spring standard. According to the present invention,'the guidebearing 9, as shown more' clearly in' Figures'3, 4,*aiid '5, constitutes a bridge piece between 'a p'airofspaced lever a rms 10, respectively' pivoted at 11,' not 'upon the spring standard 1^, but upon theI separately formed-[members 3v of ,thel guide and guard standard.; said lever 'arms'bein'g connected at theiruppe'r ends by'a spacing web 10a whicli"receives .Pan adjusting -screW 12 seated in a cross plate 13.'which constitutes a spacing member for the standardv inembers 3. The lever arms 10 are normallyunder the tension of spring. '14 anchored at 15, and the result is that byadjusting screw12 (Figures 1, 3,'4'and 5) or the'adjusting cam 12a (Figure 6) the guide bearing'9jm'a'y becaused to present the rack 7 in' precisely proper relai tion to the pinion 6. Thev lever, consisting of the arms 10 and the connecting webs 10, further'embodies a bearing',15-`in'fron't of the rack bar 7, thereby adaptinor the lever to positively displace therack bar 7 rearwardly from its pinion'as tlie lever 10 swingsrearwardly under theinfluencefo'f spring' 14 when the screw 12 is turned backwards. This positive displacement ofthe rack 7 is permitted by the pivotal connection 8, and'itslioiild be resorted to whenever vth'e fscale is being shippedA ory handled under'cOnditions lthat are liable to Imaiiseinjury 'to the precision surfaces. In order topredetermine the exact position to which the' -ra'ckba'r 7 is returned when the scale is to beresto'red to function, a stop screw 16, located immediately beneath the screw 12 and provided Vwith a lock nut 17, is mounted in the cross plate 13 in the path of the lever web 10'. By giving proper adjustment to the stop' screw-16, for instance, at the time of selling the scale, the exact position of the rack 7 when the scale is put into use, can be insured.

In order that the chart shaft D may be protected from injurious deflection either under the inertia of tlie shaft itself with the chart and other loads which it has to sustain, or under thrust transmitted to it by the rack bar 7, resulting from shocks in handling. or resulting from the sudden transmission of an excessive load through the loading member 4, a guard lever 18 is mounted upon a pivot 11 which, for convenience, may be the pivot of one of the lever arms 10, and carries an intermediate lug 19 formed with a guard bearing 2() designed to approximately fit the shaft D and adapted to be brought into such relation to the shaft D by the swinging of the lever 18 upon its fulcrum 11, as will take vertical transverse as well as horizontal transverse loads imposed upon tbe shaft, and sufcient to 'deflect it from its true position.

That is to say, -if the scale is dropped in handling or receives any load in directions approximating the vertical which would be liable to injure it, the guard bearing 20 will receive the shaft and check themovement. Or, 'ifa load be't-rann'sinitted through the rack bar 7, the'v'erti'al moment of such load will be met as just'described, while the horizontal Vmoment resulting from displacing thrust of thel rack teeth' upon the'pinion teeth, will likewise be sustained bythe guard bearing. Injorder :to impart'to thelever 18 and the guard bearin'g20: rec'isely the "adjustment desired, the upper ree end of lever'18 is adjustably connectedby screw 21 with the cross plate 13 of the guide 'and guard standard 3. Screw ,21' admits of ready release of the4 upper'endof'thelever 18 whenever it becomes necessary to'ren'iove a chart from the scale, andthe location of fuleruin 1l-of said lever permits the :lever to be swung downward entirely out of the way of the chart at the time of such removal. "In order to `insure return of the'lever 1,8and its guard bearing 20 accurately to predetermined position, the upper free end of lever18 also carries a stop screw A 22 which impin'ges va, ainst' the: cross plate 13 of the' guard and guidestandard. A

vIn'asmucli as it is l' desirable :for lmanufacturing reasons to'use'a'standard for the rack bar guide and lthe chart shaft guard', separate and distinct from that lwhich serves to support the vcounte'rhfz'ilarice '-'springs', nevertheless-to keep'thes'eftwofstandards in accurately related positions,the Eguide and guard standard, composed of spaced members 3, 3, is lo cated in close'lateral embrace with the spring standard l', theflowerdeflected ends 3 of the 'former standard being"caught beneath the attacliing'feet Pof the latter standard, and secured byvtlie'same screws upon the steps 2; and the members 3 of the guide and guard standard are without restraint of vertical movement relatively to the spring standard 1, and are provided at their upper en ds with riveting lugs 3b through means of which they are rigidly secured to the top rail (see Figure 2) when used in a scale following in its general organization that which is herein selected for illustration.

As shown in the modification ,disclosed in Figure 6, the guide lever 10 may be adjusted to bring the rack into and out of' mesh by means of a cani 12,a vfulcrumed at 12" upon the guide standard 3, having a. controllingr linger piece 122- and an eccentric slot 12d engaged with a pin 12e that is fixed in' an extension 12f on one side of tliexirms of the lever 10; a set screw 12g iii the path of the controlling arm 12c being'adjustable to limit .the throw of the cam in the direction to bring the rack into mesh and thereby dcteriiiine with exactness the approach of the rack to the pinion; and a'xed stop 12, or the upper end of the cam slot 12d as may be desired, be-

in;r employed-for. limitingthe thro-c.' in the opposite direetnin.V Such Y an Y organization ot parts obviously provides means forengaging theirack in the direetionfot' holdingzit' into mesh as well as cutofmesh'with the pinion, and it isparticularly convenient since it;v involvesmerely,al throw, of 'thearm l2c from one limit to the-other,in-order to place the rackin position where'the inecision surfaces of theV translating'.mechanism .cannot be' injured, andthroiv Ait..to.tl1e' predetermined' limit in the other direction tobringtherack into accurate workingrelationtothe pinion.

1. In 5 transltingA mechanismifor weighingscales,'intermes-hingr gear members including a member: movable to bringzit into :and out-of me h, `and a Yguide `rinovably mountcdfindependently of -both said memberspositively' engaging .said ilnovable gea, r. member; and displacing and withholding it4 roin meshing position. -v

2. Inntranslating mechanismfor .WeighingA sca les, includinga. pinionand a. rack rmov: able-into and out of mesh Withsaid-pinion, a. guide haring a bearing member in position to encounter the. racllin .n direction .to withdraw the rack .from theipinion, and means for positively moving-saidquide and holding it in a positionto ret-aina'he rack out of mesh, said gu ide being niovably, mounted independe cntly .o the raekand the! pinion. L: f, 1

In .weighing scales, infcombination with .':iel anxl-pi 11ion translating mechanism, o.' guide member.l an d. guide .bearings carried by` said 'guidemember andndapted to engage both the front and rearot. the rack, said guide member beingI mounted independently of ooth said rack and said pinion and movable in adirection to .force the rack intonnd out of mesh with-the. pinion, and having,.as one limit. of its movement,.a position in which .it positivelyholds the rack wholly outof mesh with the pinion..

4. In weighingj scales, rack and. pinion translatiim inet-.l-anism,guide hearings engaging, respectively, in rearand in front of the racl a guide member `mounted .independent'ly of both said rack and snidrpinion, and upon which said guide bearings. nre mounted, movable in a direction to force the rat-l; tl'nfongh the medium of said guides into and' out ot mesh with the pinion, spring havin;r a tim-d anchor-nde independent ofthe racl and pinion and Haul guide. member and imparting movement to said guide Imomher in one direction, and a screw controlling the movement. of theguide i'neinher in opposition to said spring: said screw being; adapted to locato said guide member in a position which holds the rack wholly out of mesh with the pinion.

5. In weighing scales, rack and pinion translating; mechanism, a standard, a. `guide member pivot-ally mounted upon said standard y:md5 carryingfjjuide .bearings in position toimpinge ageinstgthe. rea r and front oi the rack, saidguide memlxle'rltheingfmovahle upon its piyotiina direction to torce 4the raci-.z into and out.off1nesl1. witl i,.the pinion, a sprinpr acting 1n .pgm .sua guide .member *to .move it 'p v,ectfio'n whichnrithdraws the recit from the pinion, and a, Iscrerv' engaging .said A'guide miemheigznd! adaptedto, draw.- it in opposition toidspring, ,inithe direttionA to return the wk i 11t .111@ s.ti with: thfPinOn-i 3..In, Weighing, sc z1 les ,tr ,rznrlgl and pinion tmnslxtingfmlwifm, ,guijdeimember carrying guide beerings inzpo'sition to -mpinge, rjespectiv iy",`;i1 1, re1r andin front of the rack, said-,guidomember.beingjmovable in u direction tioforee,the raelginto and ont ot mesh with the p iniomncrew orforeing the guide membergin n,v direction ,tohring the rack into mesh\.'ith,tlreipinion, end astopscrew in the path loftlu egui demiember and adjustable to arrest, tllrelg'uide member in :Lposit-ion which establishes o, predetermined rela-tion between theteeth,oftherack and the pinion.

7. '.I n ,Weighing-scales, in Combination with rack und= pniiomtrnslating mechanism, n guide member comprisingapair of pivotally mountedyspacqd Iei'er.,rn is, a web connect,- ingr iey'e'iyar'nis #andi ,determining,4 the, spacer bctw'en tllerm, guide lbearings located betweensai'd leger arms in position to engage respective) y, hrreinand in front of the rack, wdmcginsgoneting, withnszrid. web to determine the, positionpfthe guide member.

8.,:Inn'eigli1ing scales, in onibination with rackfiingd I pinion trunslating.meeluinism, a standard comprisingspacedjuprights, u pair ofA l spaced .lea/er.-` Varms". :respectively pi voted uponsaiid uprightsendhaving.a spacing; weh between :.thenng guide bearings mounted hetween said ley'erlarms in position tol engage respectively ,in rear and in. front of the rack, and adjusting Screws connecting said web with the standard for adjusting the lever nrnis and positioning theirack.

9. In 'weighing :1;cales, in combination with rack ,and pinion translating mechanism, a standard. comprising a. pair of 4spaced uprightsandya trans-verse connecting plate, a pair` of levergnrms Apiotzilly mounted upon the respective, nprig'htsand haringe connectin`. \\jeb,ra cklbar guides mounted het-weon saidlever arms in. position to engage respec tivelyin rear :ind .front of the rack, and screwsm'ounted in said webpand said connecting plate for controlling the position of the rack.v l l l l0. In weighing scalcs,in comhination with e. rotary chart shaft, a guard memberconstructed with a guard bearing adapted to said shaft, sain guard member being movable to brine' .said hearing-,f into and out of guarding relation to said shaft.

1l. In weighing scales, in combination wth a chart. shaft, a :guard member constructed l lt) with a guard bearing adapted to said shaft and movable to bring said bearing into and out of guarding relation to said shaft, an adjusting screw adapted to fix the guard member in position, and a stop screw in the path of said guard member adjustable to` predetermine the position at which the guard member is arrested.

1:2. In weighing scales, in combinationwith a chart shaft, a pivoted lever, a guard bearing carried by said lever and movable in the pivotal action of the lever into and out of guarding relation to t-he shaft, and means engaging the free end of the lever for determining the position of the said bear-ing relatively to the shaft.

13. In weighing scales, in combination with a chart shaft, a pivotally mounted guard lever having a lug with a guard bearing formed therein and positioned to embrace the shaft in the swinging movement of the lever, and aset screw for adjustably fixing the free end of said lever.

14. In weighing scales, the combination of a rotary chart and its shaft, rack and pinion translating mechanism for imparting rotation to said shaft, and a shaft guard having a. bearing enibracing said shaft adjacent to the pinion, said bearing being normally out of contact with said shaft but in position to arrest deflection of the shaft under excessive loads imposed upon the pinion.

15. In weighing scales, the combination of a rotary chart having a shaft, and rack and pinion translating mechanism for driving said shaft, an adjustable guide for the rack, an adjustable guard for the shaft, and a standard upon which both said guide and said guard are movably mounted.

16. In weighing scales, the combination of a rotary chart having a shaft and rack and pinion translating mechanism for driving said shaft, an adjustable guide for the rack, an adjustable guard for the shaft, and a standard upon which both said guide and 'aid guard are n'lovabl y mounted; said standard being constructed with a connecting plate carrying means for adjusting both said guide and said guard.

17. In weighing scales, balancing springs,

a loading membersupported by said springs and having connections through which it receives weighing movements, a rotary indicator, rack and pinion translating mechanism through which the loading member drives the indicator, a standard from which the springs are supported, and a standard carrying a guide for the rack of the translating mechanism; 011e of said standards embracing and sustaining the other standard.

18. In Weighing scales, a standard of thermostat-ic material, Weighing springs suspended from said standard, a loading member suspended from said springs, a rotary indicator, a rack and pinion translating connection between the loading member and the indicator, and a standard having bearings through which it guides an element of said translating connection; one of said standards laterally embracing and sustaining the other While permitting freedom of relative movement between the standards resulting from thermostatic action.

19. In weighing scales, a standard of cast thermostatic metal, a standard of plate metal laterally contacting with and sustained by the cast standard, Weighing springs suspended from the cast standard, and rack and pinion indicator drive guided by said plate standard.

20. In weighing scales, a spring supporting standard, a drive rack guide standard comprising spaced uprights laterally supported by the spring supporting standard, and a top bar interengaged with the guide standard.

21. In Weighing scales, a Weighing sprinfr standard comprising spaced uprights, racK and pinion translating mechanism located between said uprights, and a rack gui-de standard, comprising uprights located within the uprights of the spring standard and having means for spacing them apart, and a rack guide mounted on `said guide standard and constructed to engage and develop the position of the rack.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 22nd day of March, 1926.

GEORGE M. LUDLOV. 

